Sanchez last rode Jan. 19 at Parx. Shortly after that, the Pennsylvania Racing Commission handed him a 60-day suspension after it was discovered that during a betting spree he made wagers on horses other than his own mounts on races at Parx and at Laurel. The Maryland Racing Commission also suspended Sanchez for 60 days, with the days running concurrently with the Pennsylvania suspension.

When the suspensions ended in March, Sanchez apparently had a difficult time finding a track that would allow him to ride. At the time, attorney Alan Pincus confirmed to the TDN that Parx officials would not accept entries where Sanchez was listed to ride. 1/ST Racing, which operates Laurel and Pimlico, announced that Sanchez had been banned indefinitely.

Sanchez's name first reappeared in the entries when he was listed on horses for the June 10 card at Delaware, but he was replaced on each of those mounts.

Calls and emails made Wednesday to Delaware Racing Commission Executive Director Sarah Crane went unanswered. Pincus did not return a phone call seeking to clarify Sanchez's status.

While admitting that his client had bet against himself, Pincus said that Sanchez had done so as an outlet to battle depression. He said that Sanchez, in all cases, tried to win, even when he had bet on another horse.

“It was clear he was giving his best effort,” Pincus said. “He was not fixing races. He won several of the races in which he bet against his horses. The horse paid $37 in one race, $27 in another. He was just doing something crazy that only a psychiatrist can explain.”

The TDN, through a Freedom of Information Law request, acquired the records of Sanchez's betting activity that were reviewed by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission. The betting log covers the period of Dec. 23 of last year through Jan. 3, during which time Sanchez placed 104 bets on his TVG account. From those 104, there were only six races in which he made significant bets against himself. Whether he was involved in a race or not, he was betting heavily. In one instance, he made a $2,000 win, place and show bet on a race at Laurel, betting on his mount, Johnny Sack (Mosler). He lost all $6,000 as Johnny Sack finished sixth.

The post Mychel Sanchez, Suspended for Betting Against His Mounts, Returns at Delaware Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Among the reasons listed in the Oct. 28 revocation ruling by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) were that Cobb failed to appear at a disciplinary hearing Oct. 22 that had been scheduled in relation to her Sept. 10 summary suspension.

The DTRC ruling also stated that, “Cobb was involved and was still participating in horse racing while under suspension” and that she failed to attend an anger management program as had been directed by the stewards.

Cobb, 33, could not be reached for comment prior to deadline for this story.

Cobb's 60-day suspension earlier this year involved a video recorded by a stable employee back in February in which Cobb shouted at a horse and struck at the animal with a plastic pitchfork, causing the horse to fall.

The Oct. 28 ruling stated that the hearing that Cobb skipped had been scheduled for the purpose of having her “answer to complaints and allegations of past abuse and neglect of horses in her care that did not involve her recent suspension.”

In addition, the ruling stated that “Ms. Cobb failed to get approval by the stewards for bills of sale and horse transfers [for] horses that were in her care remained on the grounds of another trainer during the term of her suspension. Ms. Cobb solicited the services of another licensed Delaware trainer that brought horses on the grounds that were not approved by the stewards.”

The post Cobb’s Delaware License Revoked Through 2022 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

According to an Oct. 28 ruling, Cobb did not appear at a scheduled hearing before stewards on Oct. 22 to answer complaints about “past abuse and neglect of horses in her care that did not involve her recent suspension by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission in stewards' ruling 19B-2021.”

Ruling 19B-2021 refers to a two-year suspension Cobb had been given by Delaware stewards in May of this year after they were given a video showing Cobb hitting a 2-year-old unraced filly with a rake while the horse was tied to a stall wall. Cobb was shown shouting at the horse, who scrambled to get away from her and reared, falling to the ground with her head still tied to the wall. Cobb appealed that ruling to the full commission in July, and the regulatory body agreed to shorten the suspension from two years to 60 days.

Learn more about the original case and appeal process in our previous reporting here.

The ruling on Oct. 28 appears to have been in reference to separate incidents from the one at the heart of the case from May.

As her 60 days began winding down, the stewards issued a summary suspension on Sept. 10, citing a new list of alleged rule violations by Cobb, including possession of hypodermic needles and cruelty to horses. Summary suspensions are typically issued when stewards want to limit a licensee's access to sanctioned grounds or the entry box as they await a date for a hearing to consider evidence of a potential rule violation.

According to the Oct. 28 ruling, Cobb did not attend an anger management program as required by the stewards and the commission after the incident with the filly and the rake. Additionally, the stewards wrote that they discovered she had failed to get stewards' approval for bills of sale and horse transfers for horses that had been in her care prior to her suspensions.

“Horses that were in her care remained on the grounds of another trainer during the term of her suspension,” the stewards wrote. “Miss Cobb solicited the services of another licensed Delaware trainer that brought horses on the grounds that were not approved by the stewards. Stewards retained documents that Amber Cobb was involved and was still participating in horse racing while under suspension.

“Pursuant to D.T.R.C. Rule 7.5 Horses Suspended: All horses in the charge of a Trainer whose registration has been revoked or suspended shall not be permitted to race during the period of such Trainer's suspension. Upon application by the Owners of such suspended horses, the Stewards may approve the bona fide transfer of such horses to the care of another registered Trainer and, upon such approved transfer, such horses may be entered to race.”

In the Oct. 28 ruling, stewards cited a number of rules they say Cobb violated, including the state's regulation against cruelty to horses.

The post Cobb License Revoked After Stewards Discover Evidence She Violated Suspension appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Paulick Report has covered Cobb and the allegations of mistreatment since July. Read more about the Delaware Racing Commission's first hearing regarding the incident here and about the ensuing summary suspension by the Delaware Park stewards as the Commission considers additional violations here.

The Stronach Group and 1/ST Racing issued a statement this week regarding Amber Cobb on Friday:

“In August, 1/ST RACING reviewed the video of the abhorrent conduct of Amber Cobb as presented to the Delaware Stewards and we immediately elected to permanently ban her from training and racing at our facilities. Cobb's actions are completely reprehensible and are totally out of line with 1/ST's commitment to safety, integrity, and accountability. 1/ST RACING believes that the care and safety of horses is the duty of all industry stakeholders. Individuals who abuse horses have no place in racing and certainly have no place at any 1/ST RACING venue.”

The five racetracks owned by the Stronach Group include Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco, Calif., Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., and Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The post Stronach Group Bans Embattled Trainer Amber Cobb From Its Racetracks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Paulick Report broke the news late Friday afternoon, noting that the genesis of the original suspension that is in effect through Sept. 20 involved a video recorded by a stable employee back in February in which “a woman shouts obscenities at the horse and strikes at the animal with a plastic pitchfork until the horse, a 2-year-old unraced filly, rears and stumbles, then falls to the ground with the wall tie still attached to either her bit or her halter.”

The Paulick Report also stated that at her subsequent stewards' hearing, Cobb admitted that she was the person in the video.

The text of the Sept. 10 ruling posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website cites 12 different applicable rules that are allegedly grounds for the suspension, but does not state specifically if this new ruling is related to the original incident or involves new allegations.

Among the applicable rules cited are line items that list “past or contemplated conduct or utterance” and “cruelty to a horse or neglect of a horse.”

The post Already Suspended, Cobb Must Again Face Delaware Stewards appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Why it seems so hard for Commissions to do the right thing in banning these bad actors for life is something I will never understand. I am a veterinarian licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If a video surfaced of me committing those acts, I would not have my license suspended for months or even two years. It would be gone permanently in a heartbeat, and I likely would not have the ability to obtain one in any other state in this country.

What occurred in that video is blatant animal cruelty (something I have been involved in assisting the prosecution of for the last 15 years). It can be looked upon as nothing less and should be dealt with accordingly by both law enforcement and the Racing Commissions. Sadly, that did not happen in the case of the decision of the Delaware Racing Commission.

HISA, if and when it is finally in full effect, will hopefully put an end to this concern once and for all. In the meantime, just because an issue like this occurred in one state does not mean other states that she is licensed in cannot act on their own. Every state in which Ms. Cobb is licensed needs to start the process of immediate revocation of that license. I am fully aware of a person's due process rights and what can happen when racetracks or commissions take away those rights via their actions in some suspensions (the NYRA Bob Baffert case for example). I am also aware that anyone who is accused of or charged with a violation of any kind is entitled to their full due process. I urge the Commissions to due their proper investigation and due diligence on this case, and then render their decision quickly. To me, the only decision that it can be is immediate and permanent revocation of the license.

Another thing I have learned over the years is the true power that we as the public can have in matters before a racing commission. I learned this after the intense pressure put on the PA Racing Commission by so many to get the license of the trainer of a horse named “Silent Ruler” permanently revoked after the horse was found in a state of severe pain and neglect from a non-attended to sesamoid fracture. Therefore, I urge everyone who sees this letter to please write into or contact your State Racing Commission and politely but firmly urge them to not allow this cruelty to continue by revoking Ms. Cobb's license to train horses in that state if she holds one and to not consider granting her one if she does not.

We hear all the time how Commissions and those in the industry want to bring back integrity to the sport. The Delaware Racing Commission has failed miserably at this. It doesn't mean that others must follow that lead.

Bryan Langlois, Past President, PVMA, Board Member, ThoroFan

The post Letter to the Editor: Bryan Langlois DVM appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post